Chris Merriman

In the blue corner

Louise Taylor

Senior Associate at Taylor Wessing

In the orange corner

The topic has sparked a very interesting debate this week and I have enjoyed reading the comments by Chris, Karen and INQUIRER readers. As an individual and as a lawyer, I share a number of the privacy concerns raised by Chris and echoed by others, however I do not agree with the proposition that 'the Internet of Things will kill off privacy'.

Madeline Bennett

Moderator

Karen Lomas

IOT Curator and Director for Strategy & Business Transformation at Intel

Guest

Security and privacy conjure up many negative thoughts: viruses, identity theft, hacking, criminal activity, malware and more. And the flip side of this, is how to protect our personal information and also how to ensure business continuity and build resilience. Does the lauded Internet of Things (IoT) increase the risk for security and mean the end to data privacy?

Chris Merriman

Tech Commentator

In the blue corner

I think the Internet of Things will kill off privacy. We are privileged to live in one of the defining moments in human evolution. In the space of 30 years, we’ve come from Ceefax and Manic Miner, to being able to programme our toaster to switch on from the other side of the world. But there are some inescapable truths that go with the advantages the Internet of Things brings.

Louise Taylor

Senior Associate at Taylor Wessing

In the orange corner

I disagree that the Internet of Things (IoT) will kill privacy. IoT and its wearable technology subset are seen by many to have huge growth potential. Privacy concerns have been raised about this vision of a connected future, focusing on the lack of transparency about who is processing the personal data and for what purposes. While these concerns are valid and do need to be addressed, IoT will not 'kill off' privacy as some fear.

Madeline Bennett

The INQUIRER Editor

Moderator

The Internet of Things has been around as a term for about 15 years, with its origins in barcodes and radio frequency identity (RFID) tags, and evolving via near-field communications and QR codes. But it’s the rise of smart devices and wearable technology, which have only started to take off in the past few years, which will see the Internet of Things come into its own.

The Internet of Things is set to dramatically impact how we do business. Sensors are being developed that can be applied to a huge range of devices, allowing us to monitor and manage activities like stock management, healthcare and energy use, with benefits for both organisations and individuals.

But with these new opportunities come questions around privacy. Who will own the data created by the rise of the sensor? And how can we trust and guarantee that those organisations collecting and storing this data, will protect it?

The INQUIRER is this week hosting a debate on the Internet of Things and what its impact will be on user privacy. Make sure you visit the website regularly through the week to share your views on this topic.